


The Wager

by Volixia666



Series: Star Trek: Family, Duty, and Loyalty to Oneself [2]
Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Adoption, Fluff, Gen, Kid Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-13
Updated: 2019-02-13
Packaged: 2019-10-27 05:24:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17760620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Volixia666/pseuds/Volixia666
Summary: Garak and Sunar get to see their brand new quarters. Jadzia has a quick talk with Kira. Meanwhile, a wager is being made.





	The Wager

            Sunar slowly became aware of the world around her as she heard loud, only somewhat familiar noise. It took another moment for her to realize it was the sound of the Runabout docking in the station. And yet another moment for her to realize she actually felt safe and warm for the first time in years. Her new father still had his arms wrapped around her, and she could feel his heartbeat.

            “Sunar.” Her, and she still couldn’t believe it, father said gently. “Time to wake up.”

            “Don’t wanna.” She grumbled. She was warm, and comfortable. The station was _cold_.

            “See, Doctor, I told you replicating the blanket was a terrible idea.” He said. The doctor chuckled then said something in response, which sounded cheerful to her, but had her father ‘tsking’. “Come now, child.” He said gently, shifting so she now had to actually sit up. Sunar crossed her arms as she blearily looked at her new father.

            “I was comfy.” She insisted.

            Garak chuckled. “Unfortunately we cannot just sit in the runabout all day. Other people _do_ use it. And I _do_ have a job. It would be a shame if anyone needed their uniforms mended while I was away.”

            “They can just make new ones then.” Sunar pouted.

            “We also have things to do today.” Garak said. The doctor chuckled, and said something which had her father roll his eyes then say, “The only one being soft here, is you, my beloved doctor.”

            Before Sunar could question exactly what her father kept calling the doctor, she was lifted off his leg and placed on the ground. “Hey!” Before she could clamber back on, he was standing as well.

            “As I said, many things to do.” Her father said while cracking his back. “Now then, go get your things.”

            Sunar huffed, but went to the corner of the runabout where she stashed her pack, and slung it across her shoulders. It wasn’t much. Just her temple dress, a set of pajamas, her copy of the Book of Prophets, and a worn doll from before the reclamation center. She went back over to her new father who was checking a data padd.

            “Excellent. Sisko already approved the new quarters.” He said.

            The Doctor said something, and Garak chuckled. “Well, fortunately I’ve already taken a look at the replicator’s. It is possible to replicate furniture, there’s just a bit of assembly required.” He looked down at Sunar, who grinned back. She was just happy to now have a father. She guessed they were talking about furniture for her new home. Though it was annoying only hearing half of the conversation.

            “Will I get to pick out stuff?” She asked. She had never been able to choose anything before.

            “We’ll see.” Garak said. “Come now.” He said, and began leaving the Runabout. Sunar huffed, and followed along. Her new father wasn’t as tall as some other people, this mysterious doctor included, but he still managed to move quickly. Maybe to keep up with taller people? Sunar wasn’t sure if the Doctor’s legs ended. He was just _so_ tall.

            The Doctor said something to her father with a smile. Her father smiled back, though he was always smiling, and said in return, “Perhaps another time. I believe I have a full day in front of me. Farewell Doctor.”

            With that the, way too tall in her opinion, doctor left. Sunar looked up at her father. “Now what?”

            “Now, we go see these new quarters Sisko approved for us.” He said.

~~~

            Garak was astonished that this was all real. Here he was, leading his adopted daughter down hallways to a level of the Habitat ring he was unfamiliar with. It was one of the levels that had been modified to better accommodating families. He noted that it was still one of the emptier levels, as the Station was still adjusting. Placing them on this level was likely a tactical decision made by Sisko. One Garak applauded him for. No big fuss. Just a simple reassignment. With a word, the doors opened, and he and Sunar stepped inside. The door shut behind them.

            Immediately, Garak uttered two simple commands. “Computer, lights at seventy-five percent. Temperature up by ten degrees centigrade.”

            Sunar gasped. “I can see! And it’s not hurting!”

            Garak gave a slight smile at that. Oh, he knew he should be feeling a bit more sadness at that. But for now, just the little bit of empathy would do. “Your eyes are not meant for the brightness the Federation holds so dear. Bajorans also prefer the light.” The room’s heat kicked in, and Garak was already feeling slightly better. “You’ll also find the temperature much more suitable.”

            Sunar looked up at him, and he was pleased to see she was no longer squinting. “You mean, I’m not supposed to be cold all the time?”

            “No, child. Do you not know anything about how your body works?” Garak was concerned. He knew she had been fairly young when orphaned, but surely the girl remembered a _few_ things.

            “Um…I know I need to keep my scales clean. And I don’t hear that great.” She said innocently, and with atrocious grammar. Garak had to keep himself from groaning. It wasn’t her fault. He doubted the Bajorans knew much about Cardassian physiology.

            “Well, it seems there are a few things that need to be gone over.” Such as a full anatomy lesson. Well not full. She didn’t need to know about puberty yet. “For now, you should know your eyesight is highly sensitive, your hearing is indeed less than many other species, and you are mesothermic.”

            “What’s that?” She asked.

            Right. Child, who likely doesn’t know many scientific terms. Garak explained a bit more. “It means your body does indeed make its own body heat, but it is far more reliant on outside sources than other creatures. Tell me, do you think yourself as a reptile?”

            “Well, yeah. I have scales, don’t I?” Sunar frowned. “That’s what all the Bajoran kids said. They said I was a creepy crawly lizard-person.”

            Garak pursed his lips. He forgot how cruel children could be. At least she seemed thick-skinned to it, which was a good sign. “Those children know nothing about Cardassians.” He stated firmly. “You are not actually a reptile.” He chuckled darkly. “If you were, there wouldn’t be so many half Bajoran, half Cardassians.”

            “Huh?” Sunar asked.

            Ah, right. Topic matter that was a bit too adult. “Never mind. In any case, you have many qualities similar to reptiles. It is believed our earliest ancestors were reptilian. However, somewhere down the line we evolved some mammalian traits.”

            “So we’re both mammals and reptiles?” Sunar asked, confused.

            “To simplify it, yes.” Garak glanced around the now perfectly comfortable room. “I’ll explain more at another time. For now, we must get settled.”

            The room itself was nice. Bigger than his previous quarters, and he noted a kitchen like section with a replicator, hot plate, refrigeration unit, cupboard, and a table for four. The main area had a couch and what the humans liked to call a coffee table. He noted that instead of the whole area being kitchen, main room, and bedroom, there were three separate doors. Garak went over, Sunar following at his heels. One door opened up to a simple bathroom, another lead to a bedroom with merely a closet and a large bed, then the third door revealed a slightly smaller room with a smaller bed. Garak looked down at Sunar, “I believe this room is yours.” The girl’s face lit up with amazement.

            She ran inside and jumped on to the bed. She lay down with a giggle, then sat back up and looked at him with a grin. “Father, it’s so soft!”

            Some part of his cold heart warmed at Sunar’s words. Father. He never expected to be called that. Yet this child has deemed him her father. “I’m certainly glad you approve.” He said, partially glad the implant was preventing him from getting choked up. This was now his life, and it was far sweeter than he could have ever expected.

* * *

 

            Jadzia knew a juicy piece of gossip when she found one. Normally such pieces of gossip were harmless, but this one. Oh boy. This could explode horribly. So she made a decision. She would make sure Kira and Miles heard it from her, and _not_ some random person on the Station. Or worse. From Garak himself.

            Thus, Jadzia was leaning forward on the control table Kira was working with. Kira looked at her.

            “No, I am _not_ going to the holosuites with you.”

            “Oh come on.” Jadzia jokingly whined.

            “No, it’s a waste of time-“

            “Well that’s perfectly fine, because that’s not why I’m here.” Jadzia interrupted before Kira could go off about holosuites.

            “Can it wait?” Kira asked. Jadzia sighed. Her friend really needed to lighten up.

            “Nope. Anyways, have you heard?”

            “Heard what?”

            “Garak adopted a kid.” Jadzia said. Here was the moment of truth.

            “Garak? That Cardassian tailer Julian has lunch with? _That_ Garak?” Kira demanded, in shock.

            “Yep. That Garak. He adopted a little girl. No one knows where she came from, though given Runabout 5 was used to go down to Bajor, when Julian was suspiciously absent, I’d say she’s probably from an orphanage there.”

            “That’s impossible.” Kira said, shaking her head. “Garak is the most Cardassian Cardassian I’ve ever met. They despise orphans. There’s a _reason_ the Bajorans are looking after all _their_ orphans.”

            Huh. That was news to her. “Well, I don’t exactly know him that well, but surely not _all_ Cardassians are like that.”

            Kira now looked furious. “I know what I saw. Orphans just left on the street.” Kira scoffed. “Orphans being treated just as well as the Bajorans. I’ve seen riding hounds being treated better. The Cardassians even have a slur for orphans. _Skrit_.”

            Well that was problematic. Still… “But why would Garak go through all the effort of adopting an orphan and getting new quarters if he hated them?” Jadzia asked. She knew there were some Cardassians who enjoyed playing the long game, but those Cardassians didn’t exactly live on a Federation space station.

            “I don’t know, but I’ll put an end to this charade.” Kira said.

            Uh-oh. “Maybe just have Odo deal with it.” Jadzia said. “It’s his job after all.”

            “Fine.” Kira said shortly. She tapped her comm. “Kira to Odo.”

            Odo answered quickly, but before he even said a word, he made a loud sigh. “Odo here. If it’s about Garak’s daughter, I’ve already heard twenty-three complaints of varying degrees of alarm and concern.”

            “Make that twenty-four then.” Kira said sharply. “I hope you’ve already investigated.”

            “If Garak is cruel to Sunar, then I will know. He isn’t being cruel to her. Now if you don’t mind, I have work to attend to.” And with the communication ended.

            “I don’t quite believe him.” Kira said. Jadzia sighed.

            “It’s _Odo_. If there’s a problem he’ll catch it.” She rolled her eyes. “Can you at least trust him to take care of things.”

            Kira gave her a defeated sigh. “Fine. But if _I_ see anything, I’m taking care of it.”

            Well. At least it was better than Kira taking care of it this instant. “So…Want to go to the holosuite when you’re down with your shift?” Jadzia nudged. Her friend’s groan was the only answer she needed.

* * *

 

            Garak put the box of clothing down in his new bedroom, then cracked his back. At least moving had not taken too long. His quarters were fairly sparse, as he had only ever had a couple visitors over the course of his exile. It wasn’t even lunch yet.  Garak looked at Sunar who was in the sitting room, reading the Book of Prophets she brought with her. Well. It seemed it was time for an important conversation. He left his room, shutting the door behind him, and sat with Sunar on the couch. The girl looked up at him with concern in her eyes. So it began. “My dear, there is something we need to speak about.”

            “It’s about my belief in the Prophets, isn’t it?” Sunar asked. “You’re going to make me stop, aren’t you?”

            Garak was shocked at how sad the girl was. “Do you actually believe?”

            Sunar looked down and wrung her hands. “I mean…I think some of the stuff is dumb. There’s no way there’s an orb that can send you back in _time_. That doesn’t happen in the real world, only in stories. But, I believe in them. And I believe in the stuff the Prophets teach. It…It makes sense to me.”

            “I see.” Garak said. He was silent for a moment. He understood religion was a powerful force. Even on Cardassia, the Oralian Way had taken hold of many, despite the Order’s attempts to destroy it. Bajorans were no different. A lonely orphan girl was certainly more susceptible.

            “Father?” Sunar asked.

            “I’m thinking.” Garak said. It seemed he was left with no choice. Well, there was a choice, however neither Sunar or Doctor Bashir would be pleased with him over the other option. So, he was left with this new problem. Temple was not an option. He doubted the Bajorans would be pleased to see Sunar join the congregation. And while he could protect Sunar when they both went out in public, he would not be able to go into the temple with her. He did have one option, but he wasn’t sure if the woman would wish to go back to her old duties. “I will speak to a friend of mine.”

            “You mean it?” Sunar asked, surprised. “You really mean it? I can go to Temple?”

            “No.” Garak said. “It’s too dangerous for you.”

            Sunar slumped down. “Oh.”

            Garak gave her a gentle smile, the smile he rarely used in public. “Do not fret. Temple is not the only option

* * *

 

            Aeli crossed her arms. “So what’s this proposition you have for me Garak?” She asked the Cardassian. It was after lunch, and Garak managed to steal the Bajoran away before her shift.

            Garak smiled. “Well, it seems I’ve run into a slight complication.” He gestured at Sunar, who was sitting very quietly. “Sunar believes in the Prophets. I’ve agreed to not get in the way of her belief, however I believe we both know that Temple is not the safest option.”

            Aeli raised an eyebrow. “You want me to go back to my old duties, for your daughter?”

            “Old duties?” Sunar asked. “Are you a Vedek?”

            “Once.” Aeli said.

            “Once? What happened? Aren’t you always a Vedek?” Sunar asked. Aeli gave the girl a sad smile.

            “Well, the teachings never left me. But I was given a difficult choice, that lead to me coming here.”

            He had heard the tale before. A difficult choice indeed. Garak mused. Not that anyone needed to know, particularly a curious child.

            “Why don’t you work at the Temple? Why do you work at the bar?” Sunar asked.

            “So many questions.” Aeli muttered. Then she spoke up. “It’s all a matter of preference. But don’t worry about it. I’ve made my choice.” She glared at Garak. “Which is why it’s interesting you’re bringing it up.”

            Ah. Well. He wasn’t exactly surprised Aeli wasn’t pleased. Reminders of the past generally were painful. “And how many Vedeks do you know would even consider speaking to a Cardassian,?”

            Aeli sighed. “You’re infuriating, you know that? Absolutely infuriating.” She looked at Sunar. “Guess you’re getting private lessons. Though give me a moment while I talk with your father in private.”

            Sunar’s eyes went wide in amazement. “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”

            Aeli gave Sunar a smile, then faced Garak again. Garak was amused at the glare on the woman’s face.

            “I believe private, would merely mean my room.” Garak said.

            “Fine.” Aeli responded, and they went over. Garak shut the door, and Aeli crossed her arms.

            “So, is it terms or payment you wish to discuss?” Garak said pleasantly.

            “Oh _that_ doesn’t need to be discussed in private. No. Just…What are you thinking?” Aeli demanded.

            Garak’s smile briefly faltered, then returned. “Her belief is hardly _my_ choice. I do believe you would even call me cruel if I tried to do the opposite and take it away from her.”

            “Technically I think it’s the opinion of your precious doctor that you’re more concerned about, though thanks for thinking of me as an afterthought.” Aeli said harshly. “You do realize you can’t just hide her away, right?”

            “I believe it was you who encourage me to adopt her in the first place.” Garak pointed out.

            “I know.” Aeli said. “That’s not the point. The point _is_ , people are going to notice. I’m betting she has some Bajoran turns of phrases. And if she knows about Sisko…Well, most Cardassians wouldn’t exactly be psyched to see him. And that’s not even getting into when she receives her earring. That’s when it’ll be obvious.”

            “And what am I supposed to do?” Garak asked. “Let her get shot by some trigger happy Bajoran for entering Temple?”

            Aeli raised an eyebrow. “The only Bajoran on this station with a weapon is Major Kira.” She groaned. “You’re worried about what the Major thinks? Really Garak? Don’t tell me you’re crushing on her too?”

            Garak was stunned at the horrifying suggestion. “I. Have never held such thoughts. Those would be Doctor Bashir’s fantasies, not mine.” A member of the Bajoran resistance and an ex-member of the Obsidian Order. Such romance was meant for trashy romance novels, not real life. “I do, however, respect the Major’s capabilities as a combatant.”

            “Oh for fuck’s sake. She’s not going to shoot a kid.” Aeli said, clearly exasperated with him.

            “Clearly, you’re not up to date on the Resistance’s past activities.” Garak said.

            Aeli groaned. “I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but that was in the _past_. The Occupation is _over_. Or did you miss the part where the Federation owns this place, not fucking Gul Dukat?”

            “Regardless. It is not safe for Sunar to go to Temple.” Garak stated.

            Aeli sighed again, then a smirk started to surface. “All right Garak. I’ve got a wager for you. If you win, then I’ll help out with all of Sunar’s religious education.”

            “And if _you_ win?” Garak asked.

            “Then you tell Doctor Bashir exactly how Cardassians flirt. Maybe he’ll get a clue then.” She tapped her finger. “Oh, and you’ll actually put her in proper classes with Vedeks who are actually dedicating their lives to the Prophets.”

            The distinction was an interesting one, as well as hardly fair. “And what is this wager?” Garak asked.

            “By the end of six months, Temple will be safe for Sunar to go.”

            “Six months is a long amount of time.” Garak pointed out. The wager was…curious.

            Aeli continued to smirk. “Subtlety, is key. And the unfortunate thing about subtlety, is it takes time.”

            He certainly couldn’t argue that point. He of all people knew the power of both patience and subtle persuasion. “Well then.” He inclined his head. “The bet is on.”

            Aeli grinned. “Excellent.” She made a shooing motion. “Now out of my way. I need to see where your kid is at.”

            “Ah, of course.” Garak replied, and opened the door. Aeli left the room, and immediately went over to Sunar. He stood in the doorway for a moment, watching as Sunar’s face lit up as she got to talk about the Prophets. Aeli, for all her protests, did seem to enjoy talking with the girl. He smiled, then shut the door. While perhaps it would be good to pay attention to the discussion, he had things to organize and put away. Things that would be best if left unseen by curious eyes. He would rejoin them later.

**Author's Note:**

> At last, another entry.
> 
> Don't expect this series to be all fluff though...


End file.
